Getting there

/ Meg

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We’re getting there.

Appliances are in (and full of diet soda and water, apparently all we need in this world). New carpet has been chosen and is due to be installed next week, and two of the three rooms we need painted are complete. The master closet has been ripped out, the walls need patching, more flooring will have to be procured for there . . . and often, honestly, it feels like everything is one step forward and ten steps back.

But I know it has to get worse before it gets better. And we’re not doing “real” renovations; these are mostly cosmetic issues, though still things that must be fixed.

And we are fixing them. Through sheer force of will.

My aunt kindly came over Saturday to paint our master bedroom, and it looks fantastic! While she cut in around doors and rolled walls, I scrubbed rust and grime from the master shower with the enthusiasm of Cinderella under duress . . . but hey, we got it done. And the bathroom has morphed from a place where I would never want to be barefoot to a place I would only kind of agree to be barefoot, mostly because we have loose nails and staples covering everything like a sheen.

Keeps you on your toes! (Literally?)

Spence and I are tired but making progress, and the progress is more apparent the more we sweat. Saturday was a rare humid-free day in Maryland, so we opened up the windows and let a cool breeze wipe out the last of the stale air. It felt fresher, more open.

And after we’d done all that, it was time to work on the condo. Our apartment should be officially on the market today or tomorrow, and we literally ran like lunatics yesterday morning to make it look spacious, lovely and enticing. That meant cleaning (again! so much cleaning!) every surface we could see and getting, like, a third of our stuff out of there — especially in the master closet, living room and kitchen.

So with aching arms and a nauseous stomach, we packed and moved about 15 boxes. Everything is getting dumped in the basement. At one point over the weekend, I realized that every single thing in our apartment will have to be touched by Spencer or me — packed, sorted, stored, moved, unpacked and arranged in the new place. By us.

How do people move? I mean, I moved eight months ago — but that already looks pathetic compared to this move. And in the grand scheme of things, we have a normal level of stuff. It’s not like we own a mansion we must empty . . . this just your run-of-the-mill stash of twenty-something newlywed belongings.

If I sound tired, I am. I really am. I know this is only temporary and we’ll be moved and settled in less than a month, but that month feels long right now. Very long. June has been a whirlwind . . . and it’s already half over. As of tomorrow, we’ve officially owned the new house for a month — and though I can definitely see progress, it still feels very overwhelming.

Mondays are made for napping.

Or going back to work for nine hours . . . where I’ll get a “break.” Funny how that works, eh?


15 thoughts on “Getting there”

  2. I am DREADING the day we have to move…. I seriously have packed so much into this place I think I’ll need the jaws of life to get out.

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    • Don’t I know it, Sarah! We’re trying to take it one room — sometimes one corner — at a time, and I do feel encouraged seeing our condo start to empty out. But it’s slow going.

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  3. I feel your pain! We are getting ever-closer to our closing date on our house and I am slowly beginning to realize the magnitude of packing, repainting the master bedroom in our condo before we move out, getting the new place painted before we move in, making sure the repairs from the home inspection are being taken care of, getting all of the stuff INTO the house (thank GOD for movers), and then unpacking… all while starting med school???

    I think I may have lost my ever-loving mind.

    Good luck! You and Spencer can do it! Can’t wait to see photos when you’re all moved in and set up. 🙂

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    • Thank you, Alison! We’re definitely in a similar boat. Figuring out all those logistics is enough to send anyone scampering to shove their head in the sand, but I’m already learning to let go of some of the smaller things in the house that don’t matter to focus on the “real” issues that truly must be changed before we can move in. There aren’t too many of them, and I’m hoping everything comes together soon. Wishing you luck — especially as you begin med school! Your plate is full!

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    • Thanks so much! It is helpful to look at older posts and keep a record of our progress . . . and they hold me accountable, too!

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  6. I know I’ve told you this before, but we moved to the house we are in when I was 7 months pregnant with a 16 month-old. In the middle of the Florida summer. STOOOPID. Do not do this. Now, after having been in this house for 15 years, I dread what it will be like when we downsize to a condo (which I swear will happen 10 minutes after my son leaves for college four years from now). The accumulation of crap is just astounding. Anyway, I feel your pain. It IS pain. But it is temporary and there is so much pleasure in making it your own.

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    • It’s very comforting to know we’re far from alone, Sandy! That must have been an adventure and a half. Moving in the heat really does suck, but we’ve been lucky so far: the humidity has been kept largely at bay. I feel like our luck is about to run out, though. And the idea that this is only temporary is keeping me moving! We’ll be settled soon . . . and not doing this again for a looooooong time, I hope.

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  7. When we moved I was pregnant with our now 20 year old twins. We never expected to stay in this house, it’s small, but a few years later I quit working to be a SAHM and we just stayed here and now it’s got more room with 2 away in college and one headed out in 2 years. I love how you’ve had the time to clean and re-do what you want in your new house. It will make moving in so much nicer. Our house was new, so that was easy. I can’t imagine moving now…it will be a nightmare. Books alone..ha ha. I look forward to all the pictures I know you’ll be sharing with us!! Rest up!

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    • We feel very fortunate that we’ve had the time and ability to work on the house before we had to be out of our condo, Anita — it’s definitely making a huge difference in my stress levels, even though it’s all still overwhelming! I can’t imagine doing all this while pregnant with twins . . . wow.

      And yes, the books are out of control! I’ve emptied one of two bookcases with a few shelves left . . . but I’m having a hard time packing up all my books, given I don’t know when I’ll unpack them in the new place. But I guess that’s what’s great about my Kindle: new books anytime! I’m planning to treat myself to one or two in the weeks to come. 🙂

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  8. Hang in there. It’s all coming together and that’s what matters. Plus, you and Spence are doing it all together. That is the coolest part of all. Yeah, you have to unpack but you aren’t in this alone. You are creating your home together. It’s so cool!

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    • So true, Maureen — Spence and I are definitely on this crazy train together! And it is really nice to know we’ll look back on this time and laugh, I’m sure, because we survived and are creating the home our children will grow up in. That really gets me through some sweaty, tired, irritated moments!

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